Rachel Merrill and Devon Merrill "Wearlight" (detail)

Blog Post Tag: Shop Talk

“The Art of Labor” Apply Now!

February 7, 2018 10:00 am

Surface Design Association is excited to announce our 2018 International Juried Members exhibition, The Art of Labor. The show will be held in partnership with the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (SJMQT) in San Jose, CA, from July 22–October 14, 2018. The act of labor is both physical and mental—an effort which is …

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Friday Fibers Roundup: Contemporary Craft

February 2, 2018 10:00 am

The week’s Friday Fibers Roundup features a mix of exhibitions, books, and reviews all center around the concepts of craft in a contemporary and historical setting. 1) Sheila Hicks’ new exhibition: Free threads. Textile and its Pre-Columbian Roots, 1954-2017 has been up since last November, but there’s still time to see it. On display at …

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Friday Fibers Roundup: Quilts (International & Domestic)

January 12, 2018 10:00 am

This week’s Friday Fibers Roundup features a variety of exhibitions, statements, and interviews around the central theme of quilting 1) War and Pieced: The Annette Gero Collection of Quilts from Military Fabrics exhibition is organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, in collaboration with the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, University of …

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Activate Inspiration by Sharla Jean Hoskin

December 19, 2017 9:00 am

Some artists develop an intuitive sense of color and others desire to dig deeply into theory to apply to their work. Thorough color study can span a diverse range of arts, sciences, and humanities. The exercises below have their roots in the 18th and 19th centuries, when art and science merged to study visual perception. …

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Friday Fibers Roundup: Mapping / Vision / Traces

October 13, 2017 9:00 am

This week’s Friday Fibers Roundup features a groundbreaking exhibition series, maps of embroidery techniques by country, as well as silk recreations of homes and objects. 1) “Artistic Maps of Pakistan & India Show the Embroidery Techniques of Their Different Regions” by Dan Coleman shows how diverse elements come together to make beautiful things and the …

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Friday Fibers Roundup: The Body (Uncanny Body / Formal Figure)

September 15, 2017 9:00 am

This week’s Friday Fibers Roundup features a variety of exhibitions, artwork, products, and interviews all dealing with issues surrounding how we treat and see our bodies. 1) The exhibition Intimate Lines: Drawing with Thread, curated by Carol Eckert, features 16 artists using a needle and thread like a pen to compose intensely personal stories and …

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Friday Fibers Roundup: Blankets (Comfort and Subversion)

September 8, 2017 9:00 am

This week’s Friday Fibers Roundup features a variety of makers addressing the conceptual feast that blankets have to offer. From political to personal, comfortable to subversive, blankets have been a tool that artists have been using for ages. 1) “The Colorful Quilt Squares Chilean Women Used to Tell the Story of Life Under Pinochet” by …

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“Scanning the Field” by Robert Mertens

August 31, 2017 9:00 am

In light of the conclusion of our biennial conference in Portland, OR, artist, educator, and SDA member Robert Mertens reflects on his experiences, thoughts, and conversations while attending Making our Mark: SDA at 40. “The site of art begins to diverge from the literal space of art, and the physical conditions of a specific location recedes …

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Future Fabrication: Exhibition in Print 2017

August 23, 2017 9:00 am

As we continue to celebrate SDA’s 40th anniversary, we wish to recognize the diversity of talent working within the field of fiber art and surface design with our second annual Exhibition in Print. This year’s theme–Future Fabrication–asks artists to think about how innovations related to fiber and textile materials might shape our future. With works …

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